SCOTLAND’S Mental Health Awareness Week is aiming to shed light on crippling struggles with anxiety.
The Mental Health Foundation polled 1000 adults and found that 58% of adults in Scotland had suffered with anxiety which interfered with their lives in the prior two weeks.
Almost half of these people (44%) said they bottled up these feelings and kept them from others.
Throughout this week, the foundation is encouraging that 44%, and anyone else struggling with anxiety, to share their worries and promote a healthier support system.
The charity is releasing a paper, “Uncertain Times: Anxiety in Scotland and how to tackle it”, which outlines recommendations to the Government on strategies to improve mental health nationwide.
Julie Cameron, associate director at the Mental Health Foundation in Scotland, said: “Across Scotland, more than one million adults are experiencing levels of anxiety that is stopping them from living their lives, with many not speaking out and struggling to cope. More can and must be done to protect our mental health.
“A big focus of our Mental Health Awareness Week is to encourage people to share their experiences on anxiety and increase understanding of the steps we can take. However, the scale of the problems requires change that goes beyond individual action.
“We urge the Scottish Government to publish a cross-departmental mental health strategy for the next 10 years with a delivery plan that contains commitments on mental health from all departments, including those that cover social security, housing, communities, education and criminal justice.
“We welcome the commitment to funding the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund in this year, but it is underfunded and not able to support all the worthy applicant community organisations; funding needs to be increased so people can get preventative mental health support before they become unwell.”
The 10-year strategy is aimed at both Westminster and Holyrood.
Among the recommendations, the charity is stressing a need to ensure social security benefits cover life’s essentials, to avoid people skipping meals or turning the heating off to survive.
One third of adults in the country suffer from financial anxiety, a figure which has risen since the beginning of the cost of living crisis and amid UK Government austerity.
The Mental Health Foundation is also calling for debt-relief programmes to be introduced.
Mental Health Awareness Week runs from May 15 to May 21.
For anyone struggling, call Samaritans on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here